Strap and buckle assembling apparatus



Nov. 19, 1940. c. H. INESON STRAP AND BUCKLE ASSEMBLING APPARATUS Filed Aug. 6, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 3nnentor CLIFTON HERBERT /NE.5ON.

(Ittorneg Nov. 1 9, 1940. lNEsoN 2,222,033

STRAP AND BUCKLE ASSEMBLING APPARATUS Filed Aug. 6, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 unr- Zhmentor Curro/v HERBERT /NE.SON.

"30 only partially ejected from h 40 proper ejection thereof from :45 projection thereof is Patented Nov. 19, 1940 UNITED STATES FTFICE'V 1 STRAP AND BUCKLE ASSEMBLIN G APPARATUS Y 1 Clifton Herbert Ineson,

by mesne assignment York, N. Y.

Application August 6,

1 Claim.

This invention relates to apparatus for assembling buckles and straps in the manufacture of adjustable straps, and more particularly, to strap v and buckle assembling apparatus of the type disclosed in United States Letters Patent Number 2,091,176 granted August 24, 1937, to Harry Alfandre.

In the apparatus disclosed in said patent, provision is made for feeding pairs of buckles in succession from supply magazines or containers to the companion jaws of spaced pairs of clamping jaws between which the buckles are releasably held, with openings thereof in alignment, so that the strap material may be threaded through said "'15 aligned openings in the process of forming the adjustable straps. The buckle feeding means comprises a reciprocable plunger which engages the endmost buckles at the delivery ends of the magazine and transfers said endmost buckle to the companion clamping jaws, the arrangement being such that two buckles, one from each of a pair of magazines, are transferred simultaneously to said pairs of clamping jaws.

In the operation of the apparatus referred to,

it sometimes happens that the operator of said apparatus neglects to cause the plunger to complete its stroke from retracted position to projected position for ejecting the buckles from the magazines, with the result that the buckles are the magazine. As a consequence of the incomplete displacement of the buckles from the delivery ends of the magazine, a subsequent delivery stroke or projection of the plunger is apt to cause buckles to partially overlap each other and jam at the delivery end of the magazines. It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to obviate this objection and disadvantage and more particularly to prevent the buckles from thus interfering with the their respective supply magazines.

More specifically stated, the purpose of the present invention is to provide means for preventing the return stroke of the plunger, unless the first completed for ejecting the endmost buckles completely from the magazines.

Another object of the invention is to provide means for automatically retaining the plunger in any position of its delivery stroke short of the end thereof and upon the completion of said stroke to automatically release the plunger for return movement.

A further object of the invention is to provide a mechanism of simple construction for accom- Oakvill, Conn, assignor,

toHarry Alfandre, New

1938, Serial No. 223,554

plishing the above mentioned objects of the invention, and further to provide such mechanism which is adapted to be readily attached to machines heretofore constructed, with little or no alteration of such machines.

The invention will be best understood from the following description considered in connection with the accompanying drawings which illustrate a preferred embodiment of my invention.

In the drawings: 10

Fig.1 is a perspective view of the apparatus containing the present invention, parts being broken away for the sake of clearness in illustration;

Fig. 2 is a View partly in elevation and partly in section on the line 22 of Fig. 1, showing in full lines, the retracted position of the plunger;

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the part of the strap and buckle assembling apparatus with which the mechanism embodying the present invention is2- directly associated;

Figs. 4 and 5 are detail sectional views on line 4-4 and 55, respectively, of Fig. 2.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, the apparatus to which the present invention is api =25 plied is constructed preferably, but not necessarily, substantially as shown in said above mentioned patent to Alfandre. As here shown, said apparatus comprises, two pairs of clamping jaws l0 and I2, respectively, carried by the guide block go M which is fixed to the plate IS, the companion jaws of each pair being relatively movable as shown and described in said patent. Said pairs of jaws are arranged in vertically spaced relation below a strap threading device l8 which includes 5 the strap threading blade 20 and the strap threading hook 22. The buckle magazines 24 and 26 are fixed to guide block l4 at the upper and lower surfaces thereof respectively in position to supply buckles to said pairs of jaws l0 and Ila respectively. The buckle ejecting means here shown as a plunger 28, provided with buckleengaging shoulders 29 and 3|, is mounted for reciprocation in guide block l4 and is operable by mechanism, actuated by a treadle 30, for ejectiiis 5 ing a pair of buckles from the delivery ends of said magazines and for delivering said buckles to said jaws in strap-threading position. Said mechanism comprises a bell crank lever 32 connected at one end 34 thereof by a link 36 to saidi treadle. The other end 38 of said belt crank lever is connected by means of a pivot screw 40 to one end of a link 42. The other end of link 42 is connected by means of a pivot screw 44 to a block 46, adjustably mounted at the rear end of 55 2 stem 48 of plunger 28. It will be understood that plunger 28 is movable from retracted position to projected position and is moved in one direction, that is, toward the projected position thereof, by depressing pedal 30. The return stroke of said plunger is effected, under the control of the mechanism of the present invention, by a spring 50 which actuates belt crank" lever 32, when treadle 30isreleased, thereby to move the plunger to retracted position. Treadle 3| is connected by means of a link 35 to rod 31 for operating strap threading device IS. The apparatus as thus far described with the exception of the control mechanism referred to and presently to be described in detail, is of the same construction as that disclosed in said patent to Alfandre'except that guide block I4 is lengthened to facilitate the attachment thereto of part of said control mechanism embodying the present invention.

Considering now the. mechanism provided in accordance. with the present. invention for accomplishing.thewobjects thereof, it willbe observeda-that link 42 .has aratchet -52 carried. there- .,by,-. said'ratchet-being;v preferably formed in a portion of the upper'edge of saidlink at one side of. acam member. 54-secured to said linkintermediate the endsthereof. -Said'cam member '54 has a: projecting ,uppen-portion 55- which overlies thegupper edge of link 52 and is flush at its side 58 with the adjacent side oi.-said. link. A pawl wleverfiil is:pivotallymounted, intermediate the ".ends thereof, above ratchet52 in position. to engage said ratchetand the projecting portion 56 of cam member 54. Lever 50 is carried by.-a iii-mounting plate 52 secured to guide block l4. Said mounting plate has a. horizontal portion 64 secured-to the upper surface of guide block M by any suitable means, here shown as screws 66. usaidrmountingpiate is also provided at one edge 2 thereof with a vertical upstanding portion S8 to which pawl lever 60 is secured, being pivotally .mounted on a. pivot screw lb threaded into said vertical plate portion-58. A tension spring 12 is connected. at .one. endthereof to one end of pawl lever 68. bymeans of apin :l i. fixed to said end of. the. lever :andwat its other :end to mounting plate-portion -.58 by means of a. pin 15 fixed to said plate portion. Spring '52 ilever $0 for movementin a clockwise direction, -,,5 viewing Figs. 1: and 2. Said pawl lever. has: a pointed end portion 18 which releasably engages ratchetHBZ, being held-in such engagement by spring :32. Itwill beunderstood that the teeth of ratchet 52 are so designed that when the end ..55 180i pawl lever -69 is in :engagementtherewith -.-movement.of link 52 for moving plunger 28 to projected position is permitted, but movement of the. link to move said plunger to retracted position'is prevented. .Accordingly, until the plunger -has-been projected for completely ejecting the buckles from the magazines, pawl Silis'held by spring i2-in engagement with'ratchet 52 and thereby prevents the return movement ofthe plunger.

In accordance with the present invention, provision is made-for disengaging pawl--55 from ratchet' 52 when the delivery stroke of the plunger-has beenacompletedn For this purpose cam .member 54 hereinbefore described-is arv70 ranged on link 22 for engagement with the rounded lower surface portion 80 ofpawl lever 60 ,adjacent pointed end portion it thereof whereby to move said pointed .end portion out of. engagement with ratchet 52. Also, the arangement of the parts is preferably such that pawl lever 60 when disengaged by cam member 54 from ratchet 52, remains out of engagement with said ratchet until the end of the return stroke of plunger 28. This is accomplished by locating the pivot 10 of lever 60 in such relation to the ends of spring 12 andconnecting pins 14 and 5,: respectively,

'- wherebyspri-ngl2 is effective, when lever 60 has disengaged ratchet 52, to bias said lever in a 10 counter-clockwise direction (viewing Fig. 2). Lever-B0 is provided with a downwardly project- .--ing rear end portion 82 which, when said lever 0f the delivery-stroke of 'moved by'spring 12 into the path of cam member has been disengaged from the ratchet at the end the plunger, has been 15 54. Accordingly at the end of the return stroke of the plungerz 23, cam member 54 engages said end portion 82 of the lever, thereby breaking the toggle effect between lever 60 and spring 12 and 20 ...to=move lever -60 in; a... clockwise...direction for .movingwpointed end portion E8 of saideleverinto -engagement with ratchet .52

. Thus itis-seemthat .the device embodying the present invention and appliedto .the strap andbuckletassembling apparatus asdescribed above is well adapted to accomplish the several objects of thepresentinvention. .It.-will be understood,

however,.that. certain changesin-the constructio-nand arrangement of .parts may be made and wwill'occur tothose skilled in the artv in view of :the presentdisclosure. Therefore, I do notwish etc: be limited-.precisely-to. the-embodiment of the 1 r invention. herein shown. or

described, except as mayebe required by-the scope ofthe appended.

v-Having thus. describedmy invention, what. I claim and desire to secureby Letters Patent is: -In apparatus of. the class described, a. magazine for holding a plurality of bucklesorsimilari m elements. in stacked relation, said magazine having. a.-.delivery.. opening,

a plunger mounted for reciprocation between. retracted and projected positions and operable insuccessive movements :from retracted position to projected position to..:. 5 ejectsaid elements in succession from said maga- .zine through. saidopening, a ratchet pivotally is effective to bias connected----..to said plunger and mounted for reciprocation therewith, a lever. pivoted between its ends on-a. fixed pivot adjacent said ratchet, atspring for holding \Oneend .ofsaid lever releasa-bly inengagement with said ratchet when said plungeris short of projected .position to prevent return movement of the. plunger prior to completion-of its movement to projected position,;,;

.,having. its oppositeends connected to said lever ..ratchet. .to. permit returnof-the: plunger to retractedposition, means. including said spring .to

. hold. s'aidalever out of engagement with .said

"from projected position to ratchet. during the movement of said, plunger E retracted position, and means including said member movable with said ,.ratchlet.-and...engageablewiththe other. end of .saidlever for again. engaging. saidfirst end of ..the .leverwithsaid ratchet when the plunger has :returnedto its retracted position.

CLIFTON HERBERTJNESON. 

